Chapter 9

A small groan escaped my lips when I tried to sit up the next morning.

Helena stirred.

‘You pushed hard yesterday,’ she murmured.

“I know,” I whispered.

I forced myself to stand. My legs shook but held me up.

“You’re late,” Lysa called from outside.

I  found her staring at me with that same calm expression she always wore. Her hair was tied back today, and she held a wooden staff in one hand.

“We have work to do,” she said.

“I'm ready,” I told her, even though I wasn't.

Lysa's gaze softened for a second, like she knew I was lying. But she didn't call it out. Instead, she tossed me a smaller wooden staff.

“Today is your first test.”

My stomach tightened. "What kind of test?"

“One that shows me whether you can protect yourself.”

I froze. "Lysa, I don't know how to fight. I barely know how to stand."

“That’s why we’re starting simple.” She said, tapping her staff.

“Rule number one, I won't hurt you. Rule number two, you try. Even if you look foolish. Even if you fail. Try.”

I swallowed. Sweat began to form at the back of my neck.

Fight.

The word alone sent a shiver down my spine. Wolves fought often in my old pack-training sessions, dominance challenges, punishments, but I had never been part of them. Omegas didn't get to fight. Omegas took hits and orders.

Fighting was for the strong.

But Lysa looked at me like she knew that somewhere inside me there was strength.

“Come,” she said. “Just stand ready.”

I grasped the small staff awkwardly. My feet didn’t know where to go and my hands felt slippery with nerves.

Lysa circled me slowly.

"Remember what I taught you yesterday. Knees loose. Feet apart. Shoulders relaxed. Eyes steady."

I adjusted everything she said. At first, it felt unnatural, but when Helena softly hummed in my mind, something clicked.

‘Left foot forward… weight balanced… breathe with your stomach…’ she whispered.

I breathed. My legs steadied.

“Good,” Lysa said. “Now, don’t think. Just move.

She swung lightly, almost lazily and I panicked, lifting my staff far too high, and blocked the blow awkwardly. The force vibrated straight through my palms.

"Ow," I hissed.

“That means you blocked wrong,” she said calmly, “again.”

She swung from the other side. I tried again, missed completely, and stumbled backward.

Lysa just waited for me to regain my balance. She didn't laugh or sigh.

“Again.”

We repeated the same simple motion over and over and with time, I started catching the rhythm of her swings.

My staff connected with hers with a soft crack. My stance held, and my knees didn't wobble.

Lysa nodded once. "Better."

And a small spark that fluttered inside my chest.

“Now try to strike,” she said.

I froze again. "What? No, I..I don't want to hurt you."

She stepped closer, expression firm but gentle. “You won’t. But you need to learn to try.”

"Think of it like this," she said softly. "You're not striking me. You're striking at the world that hurt you."

My breath caught.

She stepped back again. “Go on.”

I hesitated, then moved. My strike was weak and clumsy, so she blocked it easily.

“Again,” she said.

We did it again, and I tried harder each time. I lifted my arms with more intent, more purpose. Helena pushed inside me, giving me small bursts of strength.

'Lower your elbow… turn your hip… sharper angle…'

I listened.

Finally, my staff smacked against Lysa's with a strong, loud sound.

She smiled. "There she is."

I blinked at her. "There who is?"

"The wolf who survived a pack that wanted to break her."

My throat tightened again, and I looked away quickly as a tear formed.

"Aria," Lysa said softly, "you're stronger than you know.

Before she could say more, a rustling sound came from the trees and we both turned our heads sharply.

Lysa raised her staff as her eyes narrowed.

"Stay behind me," she whispered.

My pulse increased, and my breathing quickened..

My blood ran cold.

Lysa stepped forward, her muscles tense.

"Show yourself," she said.

Silence.

Then, a tall wolf-shifter man stepped out of the shade, his hair dark, his eyes cold. His clothes were torn, and scratches adorned his face.

He stared at me.

"What do you want?" Lysa demanded.

His smile was slow, but it wasn’t friendly. It was sharp and bitter.

“Just passing through,” he said. “But imagine my surprise when I caught the scent of the Omega who went missing.”

My heart stopped.

Lysa's grip on her staff tightened. "She's not from Eden anymore."

“Oh, I know that,” he said. “That’s why Darius wants her dead.”

I tensed as Lysa moved in front of me, her body coiled tight. "If you take another step closer, you won't leave this clearing."

He bent his head in an indifferent manner. "I'm not here to fight. I just came to see if the rumors were true. The disgraced little girl survived."

I felt something break inside me.

Not pain.

Not fear.

Something sharper, like I’ve never felt.

Helena rose inside me, teeth bared.

‘He mocks us,’ she whispered. ‘Stand taller.’

I straightened.

The man's eyes flicked to me, and he frowned like he wasn't expecting that.

"You look different," he said. "But don't get too comfortable. They are still hunting you. You cost them something."

"What?" I whispered, voice shaking but firm.

He smiled again. “A story. Control. Omegas aren’t supposed to run.

He spun and disappeared into the trees before Lysa could strike.

And she expelled a slow breath. “Are you hurt?”

I shook my head.

“Good,” she said. “Because that was only the beginning.”

My whole body shook from the fire in my chest, yet it wasn’t only from fear.

“They're still after me,” I whispered.

“Yes,” Lysa said calmly. “Which means you must become someone they cannot catch.

I looked at her.

And for the first time since the night of my rejection, I didn't feel like prey.

I felt like something dangerous.

Helena's voice echoed inside me, soft yet fierce.

‘We will not run forever.’

I nodded.

“No,” I whispered out loud. “We won't.”